A real miracle: fishermen saved a sailor who had been drifting in the ocean for 19 hours (6 photos + 1 video)

A Vietnamese sailor was reported missing on Thursday after falling from a cargo ship. A search was launched by air and sea. He was found by chance 19 hours later by fishermen off the coast of Australia.





The man was found 5km off the coast of New South Wales.

Dr Glen Wahler, one of the rescuers, said: "It was an absolute miracle that we came across this guy. My friend said to me: 'Glen, Glen, there's someone in the water!'"



The fishermen pulled the victim out, wrapped him in a blanket and gave him water to drink. Soon the man was taken to the shore, where an ambulance was waiting.

"He was very weak. He was cold, his pulse was weak and his face was very pale. We were worried about him," Valere added.





The man reportedly fell from the bulk carrier Double Delight at around 11.30pm on Thursday evening off the coast of Newcastle, 169km north of Sydney.

Police found his ID, wallet and a pack of cigarettes in a sealed plastic bag. Authorities are still investigating whether the incident was pre-planned and whether he intended to commit jump.



"He was conscious and able to communicate with us. However, he was very cold and exhausted," said EMT Erin Lufton.

"He wasn't complaining, he was just happy to be found. In all my years of practice, I've never seen someone spend that much time in the water and still be in such good condition," Lufton added.



The search team was delighted to hear the man had been found alive.

"It was a massive search operation and to find him alive was fantastic. We didn't know how long he had been in the water at first. We later found out he went missing at 11.30pm so we were doing our best," Jason Richards, from the Marine Rescue Service, told Weekend Today.